Submersible well pump health?

[Valveman]

To get into the instrumentation and installation required gets much too detailed for my limited knowledge. But I can say it might be based on flow rate, pressure, perhaps tank level and in some cases temperature. Different valve types may be used as well as different methods to activate the valves. If it’s electric chances are There can be a number of different voltages and current type the instrumentation is designed for.

I studied Electrical Engineering in school back in the 70's and early 80's. I can build my own variable frequency drive or just about any electrical instrumentation you can think of. But what I have learned in utilizing all this technology over the years is that it is not dependable. Like you said earlier, simpler is better. The more electronics, bells, and whistles you add to a pump control system, the less likely water will come out of the faucet when opened. The simpler you can make the pump controls the longer everything will last and the more likely it is for water to come out of a faucet when you open it.

The pump manufacturers know this, which is why they push variable frequency drives and do anything they can to keep people from knowing how good Cycle Stop Valves are for pumps. The quote I heard from the major pump companies is that "Cycle Stop Valves make pumps last longer and use smaller pressure tanks. So, anyone working for the pump manufacturer who even mentions a CSV will be fired immediately". That is how I know there is nothing better for pumps than a Cycle Stop Valve and why I "bicker" endlessly with anyone who doesn't understand this.

 

[CobyRupert]

Yeah, studied that stuff too.
Someone once told me having a pump running at full amps and restricting flow, so that it runs continuously, is like putting your car in drive, holding the gas to the floor and then trying to control the speed with the brake. Obviously, they were trying to sell VFD’s.

....but then again, would you rather buy a car started 100 times that has 100,000 miles on it, or a car with 10,000 miles but also started 10,000 times? I realize this isn’t comparable to pumps, just pointing out that people always note the hours or mileage, and # of cycles is often ignored.
IMHO, when it comes to well pumps, what works best for a homeowner (or farmer, rancher, business, etc..) comes down to usage patterns.
Is a standard ballast tank system going to cycle repeatedly during a typical usage? Depends.
Will a CSV system run continuously and never cycle? Isn’t the answer also: Depends?

 

[Valveman]

Yeah, studied that stuff too.
Someone once told me having a pump running at full amps and restricting flow, so that it runs continuously, is like putting your car in drive, holding the gas to the floor and then trying to control the speed with the brake. Obviously, they were trying to sell VFD’s.

....but then again, would you rather buy a car started 100 times that has 100,000 miles on it, or a car with 10,000 miles but also started 10,000 times?

Lol! You are so right! Grundfos is actually the ones who started that saying about the CSV being like having "one foot on the gas and one on the brake". Grundfos is one of the biggest pump companies in the world and they know that isn't true. But they will say anything to sell those VFD's and keep people from having a CSV that would make their pump last 40 years. Also, car engines are like positive displacement pumps (piston pumps) and don't work anything like a centrifugal pump.

Thanks man! Every once in a while it is good to hear from someone who understands this stuff. That is a good analogy about the car starting 10,000 times, I will be using it. :thumbsup: